Is Dangerous Dan Darting Down Your Hall?

Perhaps it’s that
inappropriate comment Dan is prone to blurt out. Or maybe it’s that significant
lapse in his judgment that triggers the first domino. It doesn’t matter. The
explosion is immediate and the outcome is far-reaching. And as Dan’s manager or
teammate, you needn’t wonder. You will be blindsided by the flying debris.

Oh, he’s not a terrible
person. In fact, Dan typically has the best of intentions. He’s just an eternal
optimist. And he never seems to notice the aftershock following behind him. Dan
has what you might call “intermittent blind spots.” And he lives in a constant
state of denial. My, that’s a deadly combination!

To make matters
worse, Dan’s boss can seldom anticipate the timing of Dan’s next calamitous
move. Even more troubling, Dan won’t bring a brewing catastrophe to anyone’s attention.
But in this age of the virtual water cooler, people still talk. And the delay
between when Dan pulls the proverbial pin from a nearby hand grenade and the
time his boss hears the explosion only adds to the collateral damage.

So why does Dan’s
team tolerate him?

It’s simple. On
nine days out of ten his contribution to his team is substantial. And every
time he does something helpful, teammates are once again tempted to forget about
his recent faux pas. But when Dan bungles it, he offsets every positive action
he’s taken in one fatal blow! And it’s a vicious cycle.

The first time
I met Dan he showed up at our house out of nowhere. He instinctively made
himself as comfortable as a long lost friend. It was an unusually quiet summer
evening. Dan spied our spinet piano in
the corner parlor. Impulsively responding to some mysterious melody in his mind,
Dan lunged and launched into a loud, busy boogie that rattled our rafters.

He never asked
if we cared. He never considered our toddlers asleep in a room nearby. After
all Dan was on a roll entertaining us, his new friends! In his mind’s eye he
was Billy Joel the Piano Man! In our remembrance, he set off pandemonium.

I painfully learned
over the next few years that Dan was and is semi-oblivious to the world in which
he lives. He careens off the walls of life like a drunken bull in your mother’s
precious china cabinet.

Sure, Dan’s
technically awesome. But on a practical level, Dan is blind to the subtleties
of his behavior. He doesn’t mean any harm. He’s just being Dan.

So, is there a
Dangerous Dan Darting Down Your Hall?

Don’t answer
too quickly. The ramifications are worth considering.

When it comes to
business, Dan is amazingly self-assured. He’s a problem solver. In those magical
moments when Dan saves the day, you want to hug him. But when the stakes are most
high and you can least afford a miscue; the carnage Dan creates is legendary.

How can you
spot a Dangerous Dan before he wreaks havoc in your living room or lobby?

Answer these
ten questions and you’ll know if you have one.

Think of the
person you know who most resembles Dan. Ask yourself:

Do his jokes often strike a jangled
nerve in an unsuspecting bystander?

Do you see evidence that his family’s
patience has worn thin?

In the past, have you considered
promoting him but decided against it each time?

Do you feel sorry for the fact that he frequently
undermines his own success?

Do you continue to discover new and
different things that he can do?

Are you often tempted to give him just
one more try?

Do your team members frequently surprise
you with startling new stories about Dan?

Are you allowing your soft heart to
guide your logic?

Has he randomly cost you a small fortune
in unintended consequences?

Would
you say “NO!” if he asked to marry your daughter?

If you answered
yes to seven or more of these questions, here’s the inconvenient truth. You
can’t afford to have Dan on your payroll. No matter how much you would love to
rehabilitate him. It’s not worth it.

Here’s an even
more sobering thought. You will likely have to fire Dan if you don’t take
action. So what can you do now if you are dead set on keeping your Dangerous Dan?

Here are five
suggestions listed in order of importance:

Reassign any people who report
directly to Dan so that you limit his legal liability.

Put Dan in charge of special
projects with limited downside.

Role play any important customer
interactions before Dan leaves the office.

Check behind Dan to ensure he’s
following agreed upon processes.

Avoid any temptation to promote Dan.
He will be even more lethal with more responsibility.

Remember… A
little power goes a long way in the mind of a Dangerous Dan!

I ran into Dan’s
ex-wife not long ago. She and I laughed about all of the good times we had
enjoyed with Dan. They were many. But there was a deep sadness in her spirit as
she relayed her decision to finally divorce Dan. He, of course was off on a new
adventure leaving his former family far behind.

I’d like to say
Dan will learn how to handle life one day. And I’d like to say I’ll soon leap
tall buildings in a single bound.

But I’m reminded of the time a good friend
approached Dan and begged him not to apply for another promotion. “Dan, you’ve
tried managing people on two other occasions and it didn’t work out. What did
you learn from those experiences that will help you be more successful this
time around?”

Dan turned. He
stared upwards in thought. The he asked, “What do you mean???”

His team calls
him “Dangerous Dan” for good reason.

Dan self-implodes
in a New York minute.

Don’t let him
shake your confidence in you!

Keith Martinohas a passion for helping engineering executives achieve stellar results. Martino authored the book Expect Leadership in Engineering. In addition, the team at Keith Martino has designed and launched Leadership Institutes at multiple engineering firms across the US. Martino is quoted in Young Upstarts, Entrepreneur Magazine, NewsMax Finance, Hotwires, Circuits Assembly, and Printed Circuit Design & Fab. For more information visit: www.KeithMartino.com.